If you’re like the average gamer out there, you’ve probably had a moment
or two when you’ve been playing online and felt like something was ‘off ‘. Why
are you being asked to enter so much personal information? What is the company
doing with the important data that you are providing them with?
If you have thought about these questions in the past, you are probably
wondering – ‘how safe is online gaming, really?’
To find out the answer to this question, we need to think about a few different
factors and a few different types of online gaming. When it comes to online
gambling on casino sites, or online gaming with video games, there are a few
data breach issues you need to look out for.
How can you protect yourself when you are playing online games? Whether you are joining a campaign in World of Warcraft, or being dealt a hand in a game of poker, think about these key strategies to protect yourself online.
Verify the site’s fairness and legitimacy
Sadly, many online gambling and gaming sites are not to be trusted. If you want to protect your online security, you need to do your due diligence and make sure that the site is safe, legal, and following all laws.
You should always check to ensure that the site includes these five factors of trustworthiness:
- Encryption – Casinos must use encryption in order to safeguard your most important personal information. Is the site you are using fully encrypted? If it is not, navigate away from the site immediately, and do not give them any of your data.
- Random Number Generators (RNG) – All online casinos should use RNG to deal their games. This prevents them from being hacked, and ensures that you are being dealt a fair hand (or pulling a fair slot). What’s the fun in online gaming if you can’t trust the dealer?
- A Robust Privacy Policy – While you might find a website’s privacy policy a boring wall of text, they can actually help you stay safe online. While you might be tempted to skim over them (or skip them completely), you need to ensure that any site you are gaming on has a robust privacy policy displayed.
- Clear Casino Terms – A casino’s terms are an extra form of privacy policy, alerting you to the ways the website operates and how the casino pays winnings. Always take a screenshot of the casino terms when you first sign up for the site. Some dodgy sites will change their terms in order to avoid paying out the winnings they own, or in the case of a dispute.
- A Legal Gaming License – If you walk in the door of a brick-and-mortar casino, you will see their legal gaming license prominently displayed. Any online casino must have the same kind of license displayed on their front page. Always take a screenshot of the legal gaming license before you start to play.
Protect yourself from online harassment and identity theft
When playing
video games online or partaking in online casino poker games, you end up
interacting with strangers from around the world. Women and minorities are especially
vulnerable to online harassment, but it can truly happen to anyone.
Anger the wrong person? They have the potential to misuse technology in
order to track you down and harass you online. Identity theft is also a major
concern when you are online gaming. Many of the same measures against online
harassment can help to protect you against identity theft.
While game and casino developers are taking steps to prevent these issues, you
can take a few simple steps to keep yourself safe from online harassment and
identity theft:
- Never share your real name or identifying details with other players
- Choose a username that hides your true identity
- Don’t use your real photo as a profile photo; use one of your pets instead!
- Use strong passwords for every gaming and casino platform you use, and change them often
- Don’t open links or attachments sent to you by fellow gamers
Online Gaming is Fun – Don’t Let Security Concerns Ruin Your Experience
As long as you take a few precautions and pay attention to the points
listed above, you should have a fun and enjoyable experience with online
gaming.